Being Your Best Version of Self

Are you proud of the choices you are making at work?
Are you proud of the choices you are making at home?

I found these 2 power packed questions late last year and promptly printed them up and have positioned them on my desk. Yes a bit old school with paper and stand, but I am finding these 2 questions powerful to ponder almost daily.

No judgement from others, no sanitising the answers, a quick moment of self-reflection that is worth pure gold.

Self Reflection, I believe is the single most powerful development strategy we have at our disposal. It doesn’t cost much and when done frequently and based on our highest version of self, it can guide our behaviours and actions, in wonderful and self appreciating ways. Who doesn’t need some appreciating sometimes?

Who better to appreciate us than us (self). Getting comfortable with our strengths and weaknesses can be empowering and not in the least bit self absorbed, as long it is a reflect of self on our yesterdays ‘self’ and what we want our tomorrow ‘self’ to be. It’s when we start to measure ourselves on others that starts to get tricky and just a little bit dangerous. Have you ever fallen into the trap of comparing self to others – it can lead us into ‘‘I’m not good enough’ thinking which drains our energy and dims the light on who we really are. I have and its not a fun place to be.

I came across this quote which really captures what I now try to do with many of my coaching clients and Leadership Development Program Participants.

“Be Yourself, more, with skill”

It’s a testament to modern leadership thinking – we aren’t in the business of creating clones, based on someone else’s version of leadership. It’s not about being a DNA card carrying duplicate of Jack Welch, or Richard Branson or that great Leader you had once. It’s about defining your own style, your set of guiding values and bringing your best self to the people around you.

What does your best version of self look like?

“Saying that you don’t have time to improve your thoughts and your life is like saying you don’t have time to stop for petrol, you are too busy driving”

Robin Sharma – The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari & The Leader Who Had No Title